This internal workshop of project area B serves to ensure the exchange of information between the case study centred projects and to apply and further develop the theoretical concepts of causal chains and causal mechanisms.

The goal is to explore the potential and limitations of optical character recognition (OCR) technology for the CRC. Each participant will bring data from his or her project, including, but not limited to PDFs of scanned book or photos of texts that need to be processed. In the workshop, we will try out different tools, review the results, and explore what workflows can best support the CRC in working with their data.

At the workshop invited participants will discuss the CRC projects dealing with policy diffusion and policy learning in post-socialist countries, focusing on selected social policy fields (esp. health care). Additionally, there will be a thematic discussion about conceptual approaches to the international transfer of policy ideas.

In a separate panel Mitchel Orenstein will present his Social Impact of Transition (SIT) Index for discussion.

Finally, synergies between the CRC projects and the external experts' research will be discussed to define areas of future cooperation.

External participantsAndrea Chandler (Carleton University, Political Science)Tatiana Chubarova (Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Economy, Center for Social Studies)Damir Esenaliev (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)Natalia Grigorieva (Moscow State University named after Lomonosov, School of Public Administration)Nazim Habibov (University of Windsor, School of Social Work)Alexandra Kaasch (University of Bielefeld, Faculty of Sociology)Elena Maltseva (University of Windsor, Political Science)Mitchell Orenstein (University of Pennsylvania, Russian and East European Studies)

This internal workshop of project area B serves to ensure the exchange of information between the case study centred projects and to develop a common language which makes it possible to make generalising statements.

About 70 scientists from 11 institutions are involved in the Collaborative Research Centre, which is headed by the University of Bremen. In 15 subprojects they explore the global dynamics of public social policy. Social policy is defined more comprehensively and also includes education policy as an elementary instrument for promoting equal opportunities.

The analyses which also include the countries of the Global South, focus on cross-border interdependencies: How do trade relations, migration flows, international agreements and capital movements affect social policy actors and their decisions? Only by studying the interplay of national framework conditions and these international interdependencies can socio-political development processes be adequately explained. The CRC will develop a global information system with which the socio-political dynamics can be visualised like an atlas of the world.

Course of the event

3:30 p.m.GreetingProf. Dr. Eva Quante-Brandt, Senator for Science, Health and Consumer Protection of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen

3:30 p.m.Welcome on behalf of the University of BremenProf. Dr. Andreas Breiter, Vice President Research of the University of Bremen